March 23, 2015

Pastry Chef An Beard Zebley has always had a fascination with the idealized version of the picture-perfect 1950s housewife, baking the day away in her state-of-the-art pink or turquoise kitchen.

Now she has opened a new bakery/showroom, YUM, a Boutique Bakery, that combines those two interest, offering treats just like Grandma used to make even as it sells the appliances she’d have used to make them.

Zebley, a 2008 graduate of the pastry and culinary program at Johnson County Community College, realized her passion for mid-century kitchen kitsch when she began collecting appliances, plateware and utensils from the ‘50s and ‘60s and selling them under the name Magpie at Le Fou Flea, an antique mall in the West Bottoms.

When the owner of Le Fou Flea expressed interest in having coffee and pastries in the shop, Zebley offered to make cookies, cupcakes and candies. That was the beginning of Zebley’s second booth, and YUM, a Boutique Bakery was born.

Over the last year, Zebley has developed quite a following for her baked goods at Le Fou Flea. She’d begun catering for birthday parties, baby showers and holiday gatherings to make ends meet.

Then the owner of Metuka Pastra House, whose 39th Street kitchen Zebley had been using, approached her, saying she was thinking about retiring. She asked if Zebley would purchase the bakery.

Zebley saw the possibilities immediately.

“I knew I could make it into a space that could continue to serve as my commissary kitchen for Le Fou Flea, and as a stand-alone bakery servicing the people who lived in the area,” she says.

With sparkling chandeliers above, and a new coat of paint in a retro turquoise that makes the sheer pink curtains pop like cotton candy, you can see Zebley’s 1950’s fantasy kitchen coming to life even as she continues to work on the space, preparing for opening day.

“I plan to display my antique kitchen artifacts from Magpie in the bakery, and I will be selling them along with my pastries,” Zebley says.

YUM should be a good fit for its strip of 39th Street. Just up the street are Retro Vixen and Rock Candy, clothing stores that specialize in new and vintage women’s clothes and accessories. In the opposite direction is Donna’s Dress Shop, a beloved local women’s boutique that also sells new and vintage clothing and accessories.

The bakery will sell pastries and sweets using real butter, quality ingredients and seasonal flavors that will change each week. Coconut macarons are Zebley’s signature item – she makes traditional, strawberry and German chocolate – but she’ll also have fruit-filled hand pies, caramel-filled brownies, cakes, fruit tarts and cookies.

Zebley says, “I’ll have a lot more room to experiment with more types of pastries and flavors now that I have this kitchen all to myself.”

YUM will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am – 3pm with extended hours on Saturday.

March 22, 2015

Talk to Kansas City native Kyle Williams for only a few minutes, and you’ll immediately pick up what he’s putting down. With the heart of a chef, the focus of a personal trainer and the mind of a nutritionist, his positive outlook on life and food will have you ready to climb a mountain. After that, committing to healthy eating seems like a snap.

For more than a year now, Williams has been working as the executive chef for Good Food Good Futures, which runs the corporate dining room for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Williams was brought in to re-work the existing corporate kitchen from a place where processed, pre-cooked frozen food was the norm into a kitchen where healthy food is prepared fresh daily using local ingredients. It has been a big challenge for Williams, but one for which he was trained and ready.

After graduating from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island with a degree in culinary nutrition, Williams worked for some of New York City’s top chefs: Todd English, David Burke, Daniel Boulud.

Those heady experiences made coming home to Kansas City a little bittersweet for Williams, who admits he is “beyond driven.”

His story is a familiar one. In New York City, the money was good, but the hours were crazy and the cost of living all too high. After his wife Hannah gave birth to their second child, the couple knew it was time to make their way home.

“For my wife and I, it is family first,” says Williams. “That made our decision to come home a very easy one.”

Last fall, Williams returned to New York to compete on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Two chefs cooking with a secret ingredient are pitted against each other, and then a panel of celebrity chefs decide which one advances to compete against Bobby Flay. Williams lost his competition to Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog, but he still brought back his dish – secret ingredient: ricotta -- to make for Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees as a café special.

To Williams, being on TV was just another way to show BCBS employees that a real chef is in their corporate kitchen. Yes, it’s closed to the public, but the food being served could still go head-to-head with top “real” restaurant

Today the cafe at Blue Cross and Blue Shield runs much differently than before Williams’ arrival. Employees must now come downstairs to the kitchen and order their food directly from Williams and his team, instead of at kiosks on each floor. RIGHT?

“I want them to know that there is a chef in their kitchen cooking for them, and I am here to answer any questions about what is in each dish,” say Williams. “If they have a request, the answer is always ‘yes.’ If we can we will, because that is the core of what hospitality is all about.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield has between 600 to 800 employees in its downtown Kansas City office across the street from Union Station. The company has committed to helping employees make better food choices, by subsidizing 75 percent of the food cost for menu items designated as healthy. Typically, these are dishes that are under 550 calories, made with whole grains, lean meats and healthy starches like lentils and quinoa or brown rice. That means employees pay less for the healthier items on the menu, with most healthy entrees several dollars cheaper than those that do not meet the criteria.

Bucking current trends, menus are not designed for, say, those practicing the paleo diet or the Atkins. Says Williams, “We don’t offer specific meals to cater to specialty diets in the dining room. We just want to teach people to eat real food that powers their brain and their body to get them through their day without crashing at their desk after lunch, or craving a candy bar in the afternoon to get that boost of energy. Eating the right food at lunch can eliminate that 3pm crash.”

He adds, “There is some really terrible tasting healthy food out there, so my goal is to find a way to make healthy food, taste good, so my customers will want to order it in my dining room, and will enjoy the health and monetary benefits of doing so,” he says.

There have been some hits and misses on the menu, but Williams looks at them as mere bumps in the road to better eating. Not everything can be a hit.

“I cannot get them to embrace the texture and taste of buckwheat gluten-free pancakes for breakfast,” he says. “They just want those processed flour, light-colored, fluffy pancakes that they grew up eating. And who wouldn’t want those pancakes? They are delicious, but that is what I am up against.”

His South American take on steak and potatoes encountered no such problems.

“I use a grass-fed sirloin steak and make a delicious chimichurri from garlic, fresh herbs, chili peppers and EVOO and use it as a sauce to go on top of the steak, which I serve with oven-roasted rosemary potatoes, and the crowd goes wild,” Williams says, laughing.

It is not one of the subsidized healthy items, but he still keeps the calorie count in check through portion control.

“We have to offer a selection of healthy and not-so-healthy dishes or people will get bored,” says Williams. “But my goal is to make even the dishes that are not subsidized taste better by using local ingredients and by making everything we offer from scratch. Portion sizes are also key. That is another sneaky tool I use.”

“Just like chefs that own their own restaurants, I consider the employees at Blue Cross and Blue Shield my customers, but I do differ from restaurant chefs in that they get to deliver their food vision to the customer on their terms,” says Williams. “I look at it this way, this is the employees’ café, and I treat it as such. I want them to tell me what they want, and then it is my job is to figure out the healthiest way to give that to them.”

For all his passion for the job, Williams may return to a commercial kitchen sooner than not. He hopes to open his own restaurant in Kansas City in a few years.

“I want to contribute to the incredible food scene that Kansas City already has,” he says. “I am looking forward to having my own restaurant to support and be a part of our food community.”

Two young Kansas City businesses, Messenger Coffee Co. and Ibis Bakery, plan to open in a new café in a shared space in the Crossroads district by year’s end.

Although the partners have not yet decided what to call the new venture, Ibis Bakery owner Chris Matsch says that Messenger Coffee Co. will take the second floor for roasting green coffee beans, while its coffee shop and café will operate with Ibis Bakery on the first floor.

“Just imagine how good it is going to smell in our new space,” Matsch said with a laugh.

The two companies began with one thing in common: a burning belief that they could make an excellent product simply by sourcing high-quality ingredients and doing the work themselves.

Another thing they have in common? Matt Matsch, who helped run the Black Dog Coffeehouse in Lenexa after his mother, Carole Matsch, purchased it in May 2013.

At the time, Matt’s brother Chris, a bread baker, had just returned from California with plans to open his own bakery. Thick slabs of homemade toast slathered with locally sourced almond butter and jelly have become a must-serve item in cafes in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Chris Matsch wanted to do the same at Black Dog Coffeehouse. So they opened Ibis Bakery next to the coffee shop, and delicious designer toast and a grab-and-go bread baking business was born.

The coffee side took a little more work to come together.

Black Dog bought and sold coffee from Benetti’s Coffee Experience in Raytown. That’s how the Matsch brothers were introduced to Nick Robertson, Benetti’s Quality Control and Bean Buyer. Robertson purchased the wholesale business from Benetti’s. Then, with Bennetti’s coffee roaster, Kiersten Perry and Matt Matsch, he formed a new entity: Messenger Coffee Co.

With shared entrepreneurial goals, and financing from their family, Messenger Coffee Co. and Ibis Bakery began discussing the ways they could grow their separate businesses together. The result was the purchase of a historic red brick building on the corner of 1624 Grand Boulevard in the Crossroads of Kansas City.

“It is our goal by the end of 2015 to have the doors open to our new café,” says Chris Matsch.

Both companies are thrilled by the possibilities. “We will be milling our own flour for our bread when we open our new space,” says Chris Matsch, “which I am very excited about, as we do not have the space or equipment to do that today.”

Although Ibis Bakery’s decadent toasts with locally sourced butters, honeys and jams are a big hit at Black Dog Coffeehouse and the farmers’ markets at Bad Seed, Brookside and Downtown Overland Park, Matsch is looking forward to offering more savory selections at the new Crossroads café.

Open-face tartines will feature a variety of locally sourced, seasonal toppings. They’ll also be able to laminate dough, leading to flaky crusts for croissants and other pastries. Matsch says, “Those are some of the things we have not been able to do before, but we will now, with our new space.”

The Matsch family has big plans as it continues to grow its coffee empire in Kansas City. In addition to its financial stakes in Black Dog Coffeehouse, Messenger Coffee Co. and Ibis Bakery, as of late last year the family also purchased a controlling interest in the four local Filling Station coffee shops through its Messenger Coffee Co. partnership, creating a perfect pipeline for good coffee and great pastries in Kansas City.

Watching Kathy Hale move around her Can I Have a Bite retail storefront and commercial kitchen, you might think she was performing on stage. With the grace of the dancer she used to be, she twirls around to grab a spoon for the soup, and then easily bends over to check the sweet potatoes roasting in the oven.

Hale named her 8-month-old grab-and-go clean-eating spot in the Waldo neighborhood after something her daughter Casey used to say. Casey would follow her around the kitchen, repeating the words like a mantra, running them together: canihaveabite? So that's exactly how Hale spells it.

Finding the store is a bit tricky. It’s located in a strip center between 75th and 85th Street, and you’ll need to maneuver yourself off Wornall and into a parking spot. Once you're there, though, you can’t miss the eye-popping lime green trim and orange lettering on her front window. It is as bright and colorful as Hale herself.

Even though she's changed careers several times, Hale’s first love has always been clean eating, which to her means healthy, organic food. She first started cooking to feed her three kids on a single mother’s income. She became a vegetarian not by choice, but necessity: vegetables and beans were much cheaper than meat.

“I knew I had to keep my kids interested in eating vegetables, and I didn’t want them to miss the meat, so I started reading cookbooks like 'The Vegetarian Epicure,' by Anna Thomas, which had wonderful recipes for all kinds of vegetables, and that is really how I learned to cook,” she says.

As a dancer, Hale was into health and fitness, which is how cookbooks like “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit,” by famed 1970s nutritionist Adelle Davis, first came into her world.

Always ahead of the curve, Hale owned the Daily Bread, a vegetarian restaurant in 1991 in Kansas City. It jumped around to several different locations, and eventually closed in 1996.

But it was her most recent career as a Pilates instructor that brought Hale back into the world of food. Wanting to up their fitness level, she offered to cook for her Pilates clients the type of food that she was eating at home.

“I initially thought if they could just taste some of my dishes, it would inspire them to start buying organic and cooking at home,” says Hale.

“I did such a good job that my clients started sharing my meals with their friends, and that’s when they told me they just wanted me to just start cooking for them,” says Hale. “I became their fitness instructor and personal chef, all rolled into one.”

Walk into Can I Have a Bite and you'll be greeted by Hale, who is happy to walk you through the ever-changing, but always organic, dishes that she has ready-made for customers to take home and enjoy.

On the white board that serves as her menu, you may notice she has marked what items are vegan, vegetarian, paleo and real. What is real food? Simply, dishes with no dietary restrictions, made with organic and sustainable ingredients. This is how Hale says she likes to eat at home.

The menu then breaks down into about nine entrées, each $7.99, and four soups ($4.99 - $15.99). Both options are frozen and can go straight from freezer to oven or stovetop with no thaw time. Hale also offers four salads ($6.99) and four sides ($5.99), both refrigerated and ready to eat.

Soups like Ginger Carrot (vegan) and Lemon Lentil (vegan) sound delicious and filling, and Hale says she simply cannot keep her Thai Slaw Salad (Paleo) in stock. No matter how much she makes, it always sells out.

Her side items right now are various types of vegan hummus. Photos of her Kale Walnut Hummus went viral the second she posted them to her social media channels.

“I love using kale, not because it is trendy, but because it really holds up in salads and gives great color to my sides,” says Hale.

Hale has been collaborating with many coffee shops in the area, but she is very excited to currently be working with Gathering Grounds Coffeehouse on 10th Street in downtown KC, where she plans to start selling her Paleo and Vegan Lunch Pails. Each pail will come with one entrée and two sides, for $11.99 and $9.99.

“It is a way to get my good clean food into the hands of the downtown lunch crowd,” says Hale.

CanIHaveABite food can be ordered online from her website and picked up at her store. Hale also recommends just stopping by her store if you have any questions or special dietary needs. She knows her food and what goes in it, and would love to answer any questions you may have.

February 06, 2015

The dream team is coming together at Cleaver & Cork. Chef Alex Pope’s new restaurant is preparing to open its doors at the end of the month in the Power & Light District – with bartender Andrew Olsen helming the drinks program.

Olsen has been working behind the bar at The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, one of the city's most prestigious cocktail bars. It's owned by local mixologist and J. Rieger & Co. whiskey-maker Ryan Maybee, who also owns Manifesto, the speakeasy downstairs.

While Olsen is a familiar face to many Kansas City cocktail lovers, this will be Olsen's first time running the bar program. He says he's prepared for the task.

“Operationally, I have learned so much about running a smooth and prepared bar program from my time at the Rieger,” says Olsen.

Running a successful bar entails the preparation of a Boy Scout, says Olsen: “Pre-measuring and batching cocktails so there is consistency in every drink. Delivering them with speed and accuracy is the key.”

He knows the guests he'll serve at Cleaver & Cork are just as likely to order a Bud Light as a Horsefeather, the craft cocktail he designed using Kansas City whiskey, ginger beer and angostura bitters, which will be on tap at the bar. He is fine with that.

“I know I am going to have guests that just want a cold beer on a hot day on our patio, and I know I am going to have guests that will come in wanting to try our signature craft cocktail, and I am okay with all of that,” Olsen says. “I just want people to come in and enjoy themselves.

“If I can introduce that beer drinker to a new cocktail that he or she enjoys, then I will have done my job.”

He is working on a drink right now for the Cleaver & Cork menu using Tequila Ocho Reposado, a top-drawer tequila aged for eight weeks and eight days. Olsen says, “It is a brand that many of us are playing with right now in Kansas City.”

The cocktail menu he is developing for Cleaver & Cork is definitely whiskey-focused at the moment, but he acknowledges that he will also have some delicious fruit-forward “pounders” for patio drinking.

“The weather is going to be nice soon, and we’ll be open and ready to serve them as Cleaver & Cork is going to have some of the best seats in the house,” says Olsen.

If you love American fashion, history and food, then you’ll want to check out Kansas City’s Johnson County Community College (JCCC) special 5-course pre-Valentine’s Day dinner. It may be just the thing to get your heart pounding.

On Friday, February 13th from 6-10 pm, faculty from JCCC’s Fashion Merchandising & Design Program and the Hospitality and Culinary Academy are partnering to create the first dinner of its kind at the college that will take guests through the fashion and food trends of the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

JCCC Fashion Merchandising & Design Instructor, Britt Benjamin, will be raiding the on-campus designer closet to put on display the most important clothes trends of each decade, while JCCC Culinary Instructor, Chef Felix Sturmer will create his own culinary twist on the restaurant dishes that were the most popular in each decade during this 5-course dinner with wine pairings.

“Guests will enjoy an exciting menu that will mirror what was happening in America, covering fashion and food trends from the fifties through the eighties,” said Sturmer.

The menu will feature wine pairings with each course and will start with Lobster Thermidor, representing the French influences of the 1950’s. That will be followed by a second course representing the artistic “Mod” period brought on by the British invasion of the 1960’s. The third course, a seasonal salad, will represent the influences in the 1970’s and of Chef Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkley, and the rise of California cuisine. The decadent power lunches of the 1980’s will feature a decadent duck dish followed by Charlotte a la Russe for dessert.

Talking you through each decade in detail will be JCCC English Instructor, accomplished author and food historian, Andrea Broomfield, who will tie together the fashion and restaurant meals that were on everyone’s hips and lips during each of the four decades.

“In addition, guests who attend this dinner will also receive a complimentary ticket for JCCC Student Designer Fashion Show called “Eclectic Statements,” to be held on Friday, March 6th at 7:00 pm in the Carlsen Center,” adds Benjamin. Tickets for the fashion show will be given out to each guest at the dinner.

Tom Hughes, owner of Butcher Block Concepts in Overland Park, has announced plans to open Bonchon, a Korean fast-casual restaurant concept, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri this March or April.

It will be the first Kansas City-area location for the concept, says Julie Chung, assistant marketing manager for Bonchon Franchise LLC, although there are outlets on the East Coast, as well as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

“Bon Chon” is the Korean phrase for “original village,” or “home town.” The restaurant chain was founded in 2002 in Busan, South Korea. The first U.S. location opened in 2006 in New Jersey and the chain has grown to more than 23 locations.

Bonchon is most known for Korean-style fried chicken wings, drumsticks or strips. They develop their signature crispiness from a special double-frying method that makes the chicken extra crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Your choice of one or two Korean sauces gets hand-brushed onto the crispy chicken giving it an extra punch of flavor. Choose from soy garlic or spicy hot, or both.

The managing partner for Butcher Block Concepts, Hughes has a long restaurant background. He worked for many years for Kansas City’s own Jack Stack Barbecue and is looking forward to getting the word out about the new concept he’s bringing to the area.

Bonchon has won good press as it begins its expansion across the U.S. Kate Krader, restaurant editor for Food & Wine magazine, named Bonchon’s chicken wings as among in the U.S. in 2014.

She wrote, “This cult Korean wings spot features exquisitely crispy fried chicken that comes with a choice of glazes: soy garlic sauce, or spicy hot. This is one of the few places where both choices are equally delicious; so go for half and half.”

It is a fundamental fact of life that change is inevitable. In the case of the restaurant industry, particularly Chefs, this seems especially true. But when good culinary talent moves, it just means new opportunities and good food is sure to follow. Every time a chef makes a move, two chefs get a new job.

Here are some of the chefs in Kansas City that have recently made moves:

When asked about the match between Carter’s cuisine and the menu at whiskey-centric bar and kitchen at Barrel 31 Carter responded, “I thought it was a perfect fit for both of us.”

Carter looks forward to putting out his first menu in the Spring, and in the meantime will focus on sourcing high-quality ingredients, creating consistent dishes and building on the overall dining experience at Barrel 31.

Hope Dillon has taken over the kitchen and an ownership stake in 8-year old The Drop Bar located across the street from Barrel 31 on Martini Corner. When we last caught up with Dillon, she was the executive chef at the tasteful cafe Vivilore in Independence, MO. Dillon had decided she wanted to open something in the Union Hill area and in looking for possible locations, she reached out to Chris Ridler, who owns The Drop, Sol Cantina across the street and Zócalo Mexican Cuisine on the Plaza. He talked to Dillon about taking over The Drop as her new baby instead, and she jumped in with both feet.

Having been in the kitchen for a couple of month, Dillon has already streamlined the existing menu, and added more creative and fun bruschetta’s back on the menu, which continues to be the signature dish most associated with The Drop. It was a dish developed by the original chef, Josh Eans, who now owns Happy Gillis, as a way to serve excellent food with no working stove in the tiny bar kitchen. Some of Dillon’s new bruschetta offerings are Thai Chicken & Peanut Sauce, Pimento Deviled Cheese and Lemon Pea, Parsley & Roasted Garlic.

Dillon’s favorite item on the new Winter menu is her Soup of the Day that she comes up with on the fly, and she also recommends her chorizo stuffed mushrooms and the pastrami Rueben.

“I would love to add a steak to the night offerings, and that is in the works, after Restaurant Week is over,” said Dillon.

Joe West returns to Kansas City as the new executive chef at 801 Fish in Leawood. A top KC culinary talent, West has returned home after he made the move to Cincinnati, OH in 2014 where he headed up the kitchen as the executive chef of Cincinnatian Hotel & Palace Restaurant, a AAA 4 Diamond restaurant in the heart of downtown.

West who was raised in Prairie Village, has cooked in top kitchens like Alex Restaurant at the Wynn Las Vegas and he left his position as Chef de Cuisine of Bluestem in Kansas City to take the job in Cincinnati. West was also named as one of Eater.com 50 Young Guns in 2014, which annually names people under 30 who work in the restaurant business, and who are considered “ones-to-watch.”

West, says he definitely has his eye on the future at 801 Fish, as the concept is set to expand in 2015. Additionally, he has been posting some truly gorgeous seafood dishes on his Facebook page since he started. A recent dish was a perfectly composed plate featuring New Zealand John Dory, vegetables blanched or pickled, compressed Granny Smith Apple, an emulsion of scallop and Sauce Normandy. A scallop crudo dish almost looked too pretty to eat.

With a chef like West heading up the kitchen at 801 Fish, a reservation at the Chef’s Bar is definitely in order for you to taste his talent for yourself.

This is the time of year our bodies crave noodles in hot broth. On cold nights, we dream of large bowls filled with noodles, vegetables and protein all swimming in a steamy, savory broth. Nothing fills that craving quite like a giant bowl of Vietnamese Pho, Bun or Japanese Ramen. It is one of the most delicious ways to survive Kansas City’s long, cold winter months. Nothing clears the sinuses, warms the bones and cures a hangover faster than this catch-all soup. It will cure what ails you.

Here are four noodle bowls to help get, and keep you, right as rain this winter:

Owner, Spike Nguyen, opened his original location on Independence Avenue as Pho Hoa, but once he decided to open his second location on Broadway in the Spring of last year, he renamed both locations to iPho Tower. I stumbled in here on New Years Day looking for something to take the edge off my headache earned the night before and his Spicy Bun Bo Hue did the trick for $8.95. Made with pork broth with slices of beef brisket and beef meatballs over vermicelli rice noodles, the bun bo has a fantastic depth and spice to it, with aromas of anise or Five Spice in the broth. My version did not have the traditional pigs blood in it, but, trust me, it was not missed.

Combo Charbroiled Lemongrass Pork Vermicelli from Nguyen Pho+Grill in the River Market:

Kim and Jack Nguyen, a married couple, decided to jump on the chance to open their new Nguyen Pho+Grill restaurant in the midst of road construction because they loved the bustling corner location which is located right on the new streetcar line. They reason it is also close to many Vietnamese families who live or work around the River Market area. He works the front of the house and she is in the kitchen cooking like she does at home. Open only a few months, the couple has been busy serving their family recipes featuring Pho, Vermicelli and Bahn Mi sandwiches ever since. Try their Combo Charbroiled Lemongrass Pork Vermicelli with shrimp and a crispy egg roll for $8.75, for a sweet and sour take on the traditional noodle bowl. Want yours to-go? Use their website to place and pay for your order online before you go and pick it up. It makes the process fast and easy.

Last year, chef Dom Wiruhayarn and his wife, Marisa, opened Big Bowl Pho next door to their Tasty Thai restaurant in Kansas City’s Northland to rave reviews. Make this your spot to grab a bite coming from or going to the Kansas City Airport.

Are you back in town after a long trip? Stop in for their pho, and you’ll be ready for whatever lies ahead. Get the Deluxe Pho, for $9.95, with rice noodles floating in a umami-rich, earthy broth filled with thin slices of beef shank, brisket and tendon with fresh herbs.

Their portions are generous so you will have plenty to take home and enjoy for your next meal.

Neither Shantel Grace, nor her husband Tim, are chefs or have ever owned a restaurant before, but after developing an appreciation for Japanese ramen while living and working in Hawaii, these Kansas University graduates decided to come home and figure out how to bring a piece of their islands experience with them. The cooks that the couple has hired to make their ramen have been trained by a Japanese ramen chef, and they make their stock by roasting bones to get the most flavor. The noodles, which are almost as important as their rich broth, are chewy to the tooth, a testament to their authenticity and freshness. Go for broke with the Hokkaido Tonkotsu Miso Ramen for $11.50. This noodle bowl features thick wavy noodles, hearty miso pork bone broth and a slice of grilled yakibuta (roast pork), napa cabbage, fried leeks, spring onions, fresh corn, tamago (soft boiled egg) and nori (seaweed). Well worth the drive for bowls this good. Live in Lawrence? Ramen Bowls delivers. Lucky you.

Kansas City-based restaurant group, Bread & Butter Concepts (BBC), has acquired three locally owned Ingredient restaurants as part of their new strategy to add fast-casual dining to their stable of casual-dining restaurant concepts.

BBC announced this week that they has acquired three existing Ingredient restaurants including one at Park Place in Leawood, one in downtown Kansas City at 1111 Main Street and one in Columbia, MO. It was also announced that each of the acquired restaurants would close and undergo a remodel and would reopen as “Ingredient True Eatery.”

The Leawood location was the first to undergo the remodel and rebranding process and it has now reopened sporting the new look and menu. The Columbia location will follow closing January 18th and reopening on January 20th. The downtown location will be the last to remodel closing in sometime in mid-February.

No other restaurant group has exploded onto the food scene bigger or grown faster than Bread & Butter Concepts. From the group that has brought us Gram & Dun, Urban Table, two BRGR Kitchen + Bar locations, Taco Republic and the Taco Republic food truck and opening in the Fall of 2015 will be their new Italian concept called G. Berto Cucina, they have proven that they are investing in Kansas City in a big way.

Alan Gaylin, the Founder and CEO of Bread & Butter Concepts, said he took his time researching the market, and Ingredient as a viable concept to add to his list of BBC restaurants before he proceeded with the acquisition. Ultimately, he decided that Ingredient had just the missing ingredient that he needed.

“Moving into the fast casual sector of the restaurant business was a key factor,” said Gaylin. “It is currently the fastest growing segment of our industry and we like adding that to our portfolio.”

The new menu at Ingredient True Eatery still focuses on fresh ingredients and healthy choices. BBC plans to continue to offer a make-your-own-salad, but additionally they will introduce some fresh new signature salads like their Sonoma salad featuring romaine, swiss chard, kale, roasted peppers, golden beets, goat cheese, almonds and a sunflower vinaigrette.

Creative sandwiches and a build-your-own-burger option are all part of the new menu. They have also added a “snacks” portion to their menu with a Hummus of the Day, Cave Man Wings and Drunken Meatballs made with pork, bacon, whiskey glaze and jalapeño cornbread. Heartier entrée items will include Turkey Lasagna and a new spin on Fish and Chips that will also be on the menu.